What’s New in Michigan Organic AG?

Nov. 26-Dec 3, 2007

 

1. Council Launches Select Michigan Wood and Wood Products Branding Campaign

 

2. Camelina: A Promising Low-Input Oilseed: Could Substantially Reduce And Perhaps Eliminate Requirements For Tillage And Annual Weed Control

 

 

3. Continuous Learning is for Agri-Business Too!

 

4.  Low Cost/No Cost Land Opportunity for New Organic Farmers in Michigan
   
   

5. Farm bill may be close to close

Events

 

6Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable and Farm Market Expo. Join us Dec 6 for an all day organic session!

 

7“Farming for the Future” Conference Dec. 10 in Lawrence, MI  

 

8Organic Research Symposium Call for Papers 

 

9Michigan Family Farms Conference 

 

10.  9th Annual NORTHERN MICHIGAN SMALL FARM CONFERENCE

 

 

1. Council Launches Select Michigan Wood and Wood Products Branding Campaign

LANSING, Mich., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Today, the Michigan Forest Products Council (MFPC) launched a branding campaign focused on Select Michigan Wood and Wood Products.

"The Michigan Forest Products Council has taken a new and more dynamic approach to promote the quality and sustainable Michigan-harvested and manufactured wood and wood products," said George Berghorn, Director of Forest Policy. "This effort will help us build awareness with the public, within our industry, and with potential buyers and end-users" he said.

Branding and marketing opportunities are available for hardwoods (trees) and hardwood products as well as for certified sustainable wood products that meet the requirements of commonly encountered green building rating systems. "There is a significant need to connect Michigan's growing green building industry with landowners, manufacturers, and distributors of certified-sustainable wood products," said Kevin Korpi, Executive Director. Select Michigan Wood and Wood Products will give Michigan companies an upper-hand in growing their business," said Korpi.

Michigan hardwoods will be branded in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Agriculture's value added programs. The "Select Michigan Wood & Wood Products" brand will allow manufacturers to promote their products on state, regional, and international stages. Participants will be able to receive discounts on targeted trade show attendance, marketing materials, and foreign market intelligence, based on meeting eligibility requirements. The green building products program is focused on state and regional opportunities, and connects products to the marketplace.

For more information about the branding initiative please visit http://www.michiganforest.com/ and select "marketing."

The Michigan Forest Products Council is a statewide trade association representing the forest products industry, which owns millions of acres of timberland and employs over 154,000 men and women in Michigan. The Council works to protect, promote and sustain a globally competitive forest products industry in Michigan.

2. Camelina: A Promising Low-Input Oilseed: Could Substantially Reduce And Perhaps Eliminate Requirements For Tillage And Annual Weed Control

D.H. Putnam, J.T. Budin, L.A. Field, and W.M. Breene

For full report, visit: http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/v2-314.html

Section 1: DESCRIPTION & ADAPTATION

Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz., Brassicaceae (falseflax, linseed dodder, or gold-of-pleasure) originated in the Mediterranean to Central Asia. It is an annual or winter annual that attains heights of 30 to 90 cm tall (Fig. 1) and has branched smooth or hairy stems that become woody at maturity. Leaves are arrow-shaped, sharp-pointed, 5 to 8 cm long with smooth edges. It produces prolific small, pale yellow or greenish-yellow flowers with 4 petals. Seed pods are 6 to 14 mm long and superficially resemble the bolls of flax. Seeds are small (0.7 mm x 1.5 mm), pale yellow-brown, oblong, rough, with a ridged surface. Morphology and distribution of camelina species has been described by Polish and Russian botanists (Mirek 1981). Camelina has been shown to be allelopathic (Grummer 1961; Lovett and Duffield 1981).

Camelina is listed as being adapted to the flax-growing regions of the northern Midwest (Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota) (NC-121 1981). It is primarily a minor weed in flax and not often a problem in other crops and does not have seed dormancy (Robinson 1987). However, the adaptation of camelina as a crop has not been widely explored. Similar to the other Cruciferous species, it is likely best adapted to cooler climates where excessive heat during flowering is not important. There are several winter annual biotypes available in the germplasm, and it is possible that camelina could be grown as a winter crop in areas with very mild winters. Camelina is short-seasoned (85 to 100 d) so that it could be incorporated into double cropping systems during cool periods of growth, possibly in more tropical environments.

Section 5: SUITABILITY FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

When analyzing the potential role of a new crop, unique attributes of that species must be established; it must contribute something not already provided by existing crop species. It is not sufficient, for example, for a crop simply to become "another oilseed." There must be unique and compelling properties of that crop to provide incentives for further development.

The research reported here has shown that camelina possesses unique agronomic traits which could substantially reduce and perhaps eliminate requirements for tillage and annual weed control. The compatibility of camelina with reduced tillage systems, cover crops, its low seeding rate, and competitiveness with weeds could enable this crop not only to have the lowest input cost of any oilseed, but also be compatible with the goals of reducing energy and pesticide use, and protecting soils from erosion. Camelina is a potential alternative oilseed for stubble systems, winter surface seeding, double cropping, or for marginal lands. At a seeding rate of 6 to 14 kg/ha, camelina could be inexpensively applied by air or machine-broadcast in early winter or spring on stubble ground without special equipment. Although these unimproved lines have been shown to be agronomically acceptable, modern history has indicated the Cruciferae to be highly manipulatable through plant breeding or biotechnology, and so the promise of improvement is also high. The meal does not contain glucosinolates, but the fatty acid composition of the seed needs to be modified to provide a role for the crop in the oilseeds market.